I don't know if this is the place, but the mention of maple made me think of this; back in the '70s it used to get far colder here in the winters, so much so that our big leaf maples' sap would run, some trees giving me two gallons a day. This stopped in the '80 and we've not had really cold winters since, and I've not been able to get sap since. One year I was getting a slight backlog of sap, more than I had stove top for boiling down, so I had to store it outside in buckets. The sap in the buckets froze, and this is what I am getting to. If you've ever had milk freeze, you have seen how it makes thin sheets of crystals that pass through each other. The maple sap did that in the buckets. But being clear, it was easy to see through the flat crystal structure and see the formations when the still liquid sap was poured out into my boiling pots. Those maple sap ice crystals were in the pattered forms of maple leaves, passing through each other, each on its own flat plane. Cool, eh?

The root of the tree is used for carving the Kachina figures we've all seen. The root tends to have longer inter-nodal spacing as it grows. The wood contains fewer knots and imperfections which present difficulty while milling.

It would be great to figure out something that cottonwood is good for (said the sawmill owner). The boards will warp to a degree more than almost any other wood. Used for firewood, you could believe someone pissed on the campfire, that's if it wants to burn yet at all. The trunk wood, when finally dry, has little heat in it, and the denser limbs burn for crap and make a most noxious smoke.

But truly, a living cottonwood tree is a pretty cool thing. Just beware of building under one, as the limbs become huge and turn into bombs. Another thing is, propolis, or, bee glue, cottonwood being a major source for the bees to get their resin for the making of it. I knew a man who used the very thick bark from big logs on the Columbia River bank (they fall into the river upstream and are on all the beaches) as a medium for carving, as the bark is very hard and dense and even grained enough to carve.

Fun fact: black cottonwood is the largest deciduous tree west of the Mississippi River.

Cool and yum yum I do not remember any crystal formations in a bucket of frozen sap the leaves might have been for you too see ;)
I remember licking the top of the frozen buckets (the adults gave us kids one) to eat frozen I remember licking my hand and rubbing it on the sugary flavored ice and into my mouth lol ;) I have been eating maple syroup rather then sugar its been easier for me but expensive.....

oh and I know where there are some young straight mapple destined to be all cut back to find a clearing spot on some land so taking one for my staff will be honoring the tree rathher then it just be cut back as brush.....

I knew where there were two sugar maples a few miles away at an abandoned house site where the house had been torn down. On one of those cold years I tapped those two trees. I am hypoglycemic so I can't do too much sugar. The thing I learned is, I could drink the sap of our native big leaf maple and do just fine on it. It was like drinking pure energy. I couldn't drink very much of it without feeling full. I really loved it. When I tried to drink the sap of those sugar maples, I had a huge hypoglycemic crash. It was way sweeter. The syrup the big leaf maples made was just as delicious as any maple syrup you could buy from Canada. It took 36 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.

In my world, it is birch syrup that is king. (Also, we don't have any maple trees this far north)

It has a noticeably different taste then maple syrup (stronger flavor), and is very expensive. It goes for around $25 for a half pint(8oz) jar.

The outrageous high cost is because it has even less sugar content then big leaf maple, and it takes over a 100gal of sap to concentrate down into 1 gallon of syrup. Where as maple sap to syrup ratio is more like 40:1.

It does make a damn tasty glaze over some grilled, fresh caught salmon though. The flavor comes through better (or at least stronger) in cooking then maple syrup IMHO.

I have now completed the final finish on my wand. It has been wiped down with tea tree oil several times, and then buffed with a beeswax. The coloring came out nice IMO, and although it is not a glossy finish, I actually prefer that the wood is still able to breath and not sealed in a varnish. It will continue to absorb body oils.

I have cleansed it a few times as I was working, with Sage and Copal. I plan to do a final before it is given a dedication and full charging on Wednesday. It feels very comfortable in my hand.

The bowl in the pictures is my lightworker assembly of crystals. The bowl is white aragonite. The central tower is satin spar selenite. Gridded around that are Gold sheen Obsidian, Golden Labradorite, Phenakite, Green Kyanite with Mica, Pink Danburite, Golden Healer Quartz, and Ametrine.

The wand has been charging with this Crystal grid, which is one grouping I use often. Visually, the wand is now as it will be. I have enjoyed this process and am looking forward to the actual "finishing", which is also a beginning.

your making my mouth water ;) Ive wanted to try Birch sap we have enough trees here but haave more Maple in places then Birch
I do not have enough land but the trees I do plant ....well I plant all trees faster growing soft wood trees and slower growing hard wood trees need some trees while we wait for the slower growing maple birch and oak
poplar species come up as weeds in the lawn I let some grow but need to cut back / down anyway we do have a elm leaf maple that you can collect sap from as well and they grow as weeds and super fast on a 1/4 of an acre I dont have much room to grow syroup unless its from my choke cherry trees ;) that can be good but you need to add the sugar and I dont do well with sugar anymore either

I have now completed the final finish on my wand. It has been wiped down with tea tree oil several times, and then buffed with a beeswax. The coloring came out nice IMO, and although it is not a glossy finish, I actually prefer that the wood is still able to breath and not sealed in a varnish. It will continue to absorb body oils.

I have cleansed it a few times as I was working, with Sage and Copal. I plan to do a final before it is given a dedication and full charging on Wednesday. It feels very comfortable in my hand.

The bowl in the pictures is my lightworker assembly of crystals. The bowl is white aragonite. The central tower is satin spar selenite. Gridded around that are Gold sheen Obsidian, Golden Labradorite, Phenakite, Green Kyanite with Mica, Pink Danburite, Golden Healer Quartz, and Ametrine.

The wand has been charging with this Crystal grid, which is one grouping I use often. Visually, the wand is now as it will be. I have enjoyed this process and am looking forward to the actual "finishing", which is also a beginning.

Yes, it's beautiful, Skye. The carving is way nice and the finish looks really good. Better than a poke in the eye with at sharp stick... errr, maybe I could put that better... You be careful where you point that thing, ya hear?

After opening my circle and welcoming the Elements from all four points, I set my tools on the East Stone and placed the wand in the center while I grounded. Once I felt the Earth flowing up through me I began.

First thanking the Melaleuca Tree for its giving, and feeding the tree a nice compost.

Censor to the East, and placing fresh Sage and Lavender upon the coal, with smoke rising..........

While passing the wand through the cleansing smoke 3 times,

"With the Element of Air, I blow away any negative energies from this wand, so only positive remain."

White candle burning to the South,

While passing the wand through the flame 3 times.

"With the Element of Fire, I burn away any negative energies from this wand, so only positive remain."

Chalice to the West, filled with blessed water.

While placing the tip of the wand in the water.

"With the Element of Water, I wash away any negative energies from this wand, so only positive remain."

White celler with himalayan sea salt to the North.

While sprinkling the salt over the wand.

"With the Element of Earth, I bury any negative energies from this wand, so only positive remain.

Now cleansed and while still deeply grounded, I let the energy spiral upward and outward through me, and spiral clockwise through the wand, pausing briefly at the tip while facing the rising sun.

Holding the wand up to the Lord and Lady, Sun and Moon,

"Oh Lord and Lady, may you charge and protect this wand from any negativity."

"May your blessing be upon it as I dedicate the work of this wand for positive purpose only."

"And it harm none, may this wand well work my will."

"As I will, so make it be."

Placed in the center of my circle, to charge in the sunlight, and tonight in the moonlight.

I am well pleased with this working. Should I be so inclined and invited, I may make more with different woods. Or perhaps a walking staff as Wilde is planning would be as enjoyable.......